Evergreen Youth & Family Services Inc

Programs: Emergency shelter: (24 hours per day, 7 days per week) for children ages 9 through 17 who are homeless/runaways or experiencing personal, school, or family crisis. The shelter provides youth and family crisis intervention and parent education and coaching. Shelter support is available for both residential clients and community youth and families who do not require a residential stay. The shelter operates a 35-day evaluation program. The beltrami suicide prevention program is based at the evergreen shelter, providing prevention training to all county schools and community groups and communitywide prevention awareness. The bemidji rock sober youth program is based out of the shelter and serves youth ages 14-18 with sober support and activities. Rock sober also provides live it! Teen pregnancy and sti/std prevention curriculum in area schools.

evergreen youth services: evergreen's youth drop-in center anchors this site. It is open 25 hours/week. The drop-in center provides safe, supportive adult guidance and shelter and housing referrals. It is a designated youth food shelf and provides homeless youth and young adults with on-site meals and emergency food, and laundry and shower access. Youth may also receive help with clothing, diapers, computer access, and complete job, housing, and benefit applications. Other services include youth and family mental health counseling, the kinship north mentoring program for children ages 5-15, the bemidji youth advisory commission, and the bemidji skate and bike association.

supportive housing & independent living skills. Evergreen offers a continuum of housing options for single and pregnant/parenting homeless youth and young adults. Housing options include: on-site units at evergreen's youth services site, scattered site housing, or permanent supportive housing for young adults with disabilities. Services include intensive case management, development of an independent living plan, and financial assistance. Youth receive help with employment, parenting, accessing mainstream resources, and pursuing their education. Youth also receive support to address mental health and alcohol and drug issues. Independent living skills (ils) groups and 1-1 services are provided to youth currently in care ages 16-18 or youth who have exited care ages 18-21. Ils services include help obtaining vital documents, finding employment, completing educational goals, obtaining housing, and mastering the skills needed to communicate with others and negotiate with landlords, address physical and mental health care needs, exercise sexual responsibility, open a checking account and be financially responsible, plan for the future, and be successful in independent living.